A passive optical network (PON) is one system for providing network access over “the last mile.” The PON is a point-to-multi-point (P2MP) network comprised of an optical line terminal (OLT) at the central office, an optical distribution network (ODN), and a plurality of optical network units (ONUs) at the customer premises. Some ONUs are configured to send a message indicating power loss at the ONU. The message does not include a reason for the power loss, and receiving a power loss message without a reason for the power loss can be problematic for the recipient of the message.